Metastatic disease of the breast and local recurrence

Multimodality primary therapies for breast cancer combined with earlier detection have led to a sharp decline in the death rate from breast cancer in the UK over the last 40 years in the face of a rising incidence. The latest UK statistics from Cancer Research UK report 55,122 new cases of breast cancer in 2015 with 11,563 deaths from breast cancer recorded in 2016. Crudely, this equates to a cure rate of around 80% for all comers and demonstrates a clear improvement in outcome with 50,285 new cases in 2011 and 11,716 deaths in 2012. Despite this good news, there are still significant numbers of women (and men) who suffer from either a local recurrence or metastatic disease following apparently successful treatment for early breast cancer (Stage I to III). Only a minority of individuals, 6.6% with the stage recorded at diagnosis, present with stage IV disease. This review considers the treatment options available to individuals with locally recurrent and advanced breast cancer (ABC).     

EMA对药用辅料右旋糖酐新的安全性评价

欧洲药品局（EMA）于2018年11月发布了"人用药品辅料右旋糖酐的包装说明书资料"，该文件引用大量文献全面评价了右旋糖酐的安全性，特别指出含有右旋糖酐辅料的注射和吸入制剂的疫苗与药品，应在说明书中描述有关其过敏反应信息的新要求。介绍该文件的主要内容，期望对我国这类药品说明书的撰写和监管有所帮助。     

Optimizing Rapid Recovery After Anterior Hip Arthroplasty Surgery: A Comparative Study of Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block and Local Infiltration Analgesia

BackgroundMultimodal pain therapy combining analgesics, local infiltration analgesia (LIA) and peripheral nerve blocks, such as fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB), can improve postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting (PONV) and ambulation in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). We hypothesized that addition of FICB would decrease opioid requirements and length of stay (LOS) but could create a motor block.MethodsThis is a single center, prospective, blinded randomized controlled study of 152 patients undergoing elective THA via direct anterior approach from October 2019 till August 2021. Three patient groups were defined: patients receiving only spinal anesthesia (control group, n = 53); spinal anesthesia with LIA perioperatively (n = 50); and spinal anesthesia with FICB on the recovery unit (n = 49). Outcome measures consisted of postoperative pain scores, PONV, length of hospital stay, opioid requirements and mobility.ResultsOverall pain scores were low for all patient groups, with a lower pain score for LIA in comparison to the control group until 4 hours postoperatively (P < .05). Length of hospital stay, postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting (PONV) scores and quadriceps muscle strength did not differ significantly between groups. The control group showed higher scores at 12 hours postoperatively in comparison to FICB regarding rehabilitation potential, use of walking aids and activities of daily living (P < .05), but all groups reached the same endpoint 48 hours postoperatively. The LIA and FICB groups required less opioids until 24 hours postoperatively.ConclusionLIA is a beneficial adjuvant therapy to spinal anesthesia in THA patients as it may decrease pain scores and the need for opioid consumption. Adjuvant FICB only provided lower opioid requirements.     

Current therapeutical strategies for allergic rhinitis

Introduction: Allergic rhinitis is a common condition with increasing prevalence and is associated with several comorbid disorders such as bronchial asthma and atopic dermatitis. If allergen avoidance is not possible, allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only causal treatment option.

Areas covered: This review focuses on current treatments and the future outlook for allergic rhinitis. Pharmacotherapy includes mast cell stabilizers, antihistamines, glucocorticosteroids (GCSs), leukotriene receptor antagonists, and nasal decongestants. Nasal GCSs are currently regarded as the most effective treatment and are considered first-line therapy together with non-sedating antihistamines. The new formulation MP29-02 combines the nasal GCS fluticasone propionate with azelastine in one single spray and has achieved greater improvements than those under monotherapy with modern GCSs or antihistamines. Furthermore, this review discusses allergen immunotherapy alone and in combination with modern monoclonal antibodies.

Expert opinion: Despite the variety of medications for allergic rhinitis, ranging from general symptomatic agents like GCSs or decongestants, to more specific ones like histamine receptor or leukotriene blockers, to causal therapy like immunotherapy, many patients still experience treatment failures or unsatisfactory results. The ultimate goal may be to endotype every downstream pathway separately in order to offer patients individualized, targeted therapy with specific antibodies against the respective pathway.     

Dexamethasone as an adjuvant for peripheral nerve blockade: a randomised,triple-blinded crossover study in volunteers

Background

The efficacy of dexamethasone in extending the duration of local anaesthetic block is uncertain. In a randomised controlled triple blind crossover study in volunteers, we tested the hypothesis that neither i.v. nor perineurally administered dexamethasone prolongs the sensory block achieved with ropivacaine.

长春西部地区1258例过敏原特异性IgE检测结果分析

目的了解长春西部地区过敏原特异性IgE分布情况。方法应用免疫印迹法检测1 258例患者的19种吸入性及食物性过敏原特异性IgE抗体,统计过敏原结果及种类。结果 1 258例患者,检出至少一种特异性IgE阳性率为34.0%。男性阳性率为33.5%;女性阳性率为34.5%。男女间阳性率差异无统计学意义(P> 0.05)。吸入性过敏原阳性率由高到低依次为:普通豚草14.2%、艾蒿11.4%、屋尘螨/粉尘螨8.1%、猫毛3.8%、狗上皮2.4%、柳树/杨树/榆树2.1%,屋尘1.6%、蟑螂1.6%、点青霉/分枝孢霉/烟曲霉/交链孢霉1.2%、葎草1.1%。食物性过敏原阳性率由高到低依次为:鸡蛋白2.9%、鳕鱼/龙虾/扇贝2.7%、牛奶2.3%、黄豆1.9%、蟹1.5%、虾1.3%、牛肉1.2%、花生1.0%、羊肉0.8%。混合过敏达到了相当高的比例。结论长春西部地区吸入性过敏原以普通豚草、艾蒿和屋尘螨/粉尘螨为主;食物性过敏原以鸡蛋白、鳕鱼/龙虾/扇贝、牛奶为主,明确过敏原,对过敏性患者的预防和治疗有重大意义。     

Risk communication in a patient decision aid for radiotherapy in breast cancer: How to deal with uncertainty?

Background and aimPatient decision aids for oncological treatment options, provide information on the effect on recurrence rates and/or survival benefit, and on side-effects and/or burden of different treatment options. However, often uncertainty exists around the probability estimates for recurrence/survival and side-effects which is too relevant to be ignored. Evidence is lacking on the best way to communicate these uncertainties. The aim of this study is to develop a method to incorporate uncertainties in a patient decision aid for breast cancer patients to support their decision on radiotherapy.MethodsFirstly, qualitative interviews were held with patients and health care professionals. Secondly, in the development phase, thinking aloud sessions were organized with four patients and 12 health care professionals, individual and group-wise.ResultsConsensus was reached on a pictograph illustrating the whole range of uncertainty for local recurrence risks, in combination with textual explanation that a more exact personalized risk would be given by their own physician. The pictograph consisted of 100 female icons in a 10 x 10 array. Icons with a stepwise gradient color indicated the uncertainty margin. The prevalence and severity of possible side-effects were explained using verbal labels.ConclusionsWe developed a novel way of visualizing uncertainties in recurrence rates in a patient decision aid. The effect of this way of communicating risk uncertainty is currently being tested in the BRASA study (NCT03375801).     

The effects of grass pollen allergoid immunotherapy on clinical and immunological parameters in children with allergic rhinitis

Allergoid immunotherapy is a new form of allergen immunotherapy allowing safe administration of high allergen doses. There is limited information on the effects of allergoid immunotherapy in children with allergic rhinitis. To investigate the immunological and clinical effects of allergoid immunotherapy in children with allergic rhinitis due to grass pollen allergy. Children with allergic rhinitis were assigned to allergoid immunotherapy (n = 27) or control (n = 26, no immunotherapy) groups. Children in the immunotherapy group received seven injections of grass pollen allergoid immunotherapy before grass pollen season and continued to receive maintenance immunotherapy for 27 months. All patients were offered a pharmacotherapy regimen to be used on demand during the pollen seasons. Clinical and laboratory parameters were compared between the immunotherapy and control groups. The rhinoconjunctivitis symptom-medication score and asthma symptom score were lower in the immunotherapy group after 1 yr of maintenance immunotherapy (p < 0.01 for both). Skin test reactivity and nasal reactivity as determined by nasal provocation testing for grass pollen were significantly decreased after 1 yr of immunotherapy (p < 0.001 for both). The seasonal increase in bronchial reactivity and nasal lavage eosinophil cationic protein levels were prevented after the first year of immunotherapy (p < 0.05 for both). The seasonal increase in immunoglobulin (Ig)E decreased (p < 0.05) and grass-specific IgG, IgG(1) and IgG(4) increased significantly already at the end of the seven-injection build-up therapy (p < 0.001, for all). Interleukin (IL)-4 levels in the culture supernatants showed a steady decline from baseline at first and second year of immunotherapy (p < 0.001) but remained unchanged in the control group. Allergoid immunotherapy is an effective method in the treatment of grass pollen-induced allergic rhinitis in children and prevents the seasonal increase in bronchial hyper-reactivity. Changes in specific IgE and IgG levels and decreased IL-4 production in peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture supernatants may account for the observed clinical effects.